74 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jttly S8, 1893. 



failed, the first that is taken however will be sent to the 

 Forest anp Streaji to settle this interesting point. 



From the foregoing it will appear very conclusively 

 that this fish is a valuable addition to our Eastern waters, 

 and that it will live peaceably, and perhaps usefully, 

 with the native kind. I have never seen any indication 

 that it preys on his relations, but one T saw take a good 

 sized frog, as it jumped off a limb as I was slowly drift- 

 ing down stream, and disturbed the frog's meditations. 

 The fish met it in mid air. springing out of the water, 

 and going under with a splash that indicated a large fish. 

 It takes the water newts, crawfish and rises at a fly as 

 freely as the common trout. The white miller in the 

 evening when the shades are getting too dark to see any- 

 thing, is the moat killing bait, and the most prolific time 

 for this fish. Henky Stewart, 



Highlands Pabk. N. C. 



SALE OF TROUT IN CLOSE SEASON. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I notice in your issue of June 80 that Mr. A. N. Cheney 

 says that I iix the spawning time for trout. I was not 

 aware that I was endowed with supernatural power, so 

 as to cause trout to spawn at my command. I notice he 

 has found a place way up on the boundary line of Canada 

 where trout are fpawning as late as Dec, 23, eight days 

 later than my date of the closing of the spawning season. 

 He does not say whether there was any ripe male trout 

 to fertilize the eggs, a very important subject to be con- 

 sidered in trout raising. Every trout raiser has probably 

 experienced the difficulty of finding ripe males enough 

 to fertilize the eggs taken the latter part of the spawning 

 season, and for this season we are often compelled to 

 stop taking eggs even while there are many ripe females 

 yet to spawn. It is also well known that these very late 

 eggs are of poor quality and hardly worth taking. My 

 statement that trout are through gpawning: in New Eng- 

 land and southeastern New York on Dec. 15 is practically 

 correct, and is only owing to some abnormal condition 

 that a few individual trout spawn after that time. 



I think that the trout culturists who take millions of 

 trout eggs annually ought to know as much about the 

 spawning season as guides, whose only experience has 

 been in catching trout, and know nothing about their 

 habits. I will say, however, that my neighbor, Mr. Nath. 

 Hoxie, was at the Farmachenee Lakes one year in Sep- 

 tember, and found trout on their spawning beds in great 

 numbers at that time, which goes far to con-oborate my 

 statement, I am aware that the trout in Caledonia Creek 

 spawn in Janiiary and February, and even into early 

 March, but Caledonia Creek is in Western New York, 

 while I confined my statement to New England and 

 southeastern New York, I am also aware that the Eu- 

 ropean brown trout spawn in December and January, but 

 there are none of them to my knowledge in any public 

 waters of this State, I imported the first lot of brown 

 trout eggs in this counti'y in January. 1881, and I now 

 have them of all sizes from the fry up to 71bs, in weight, 



Mr, Livingston Stone in his" work ("Domesticated 

 Trout") says his trout begin to spawn Oct, 13 and finish 

 the first week in December. Mr, E. B. Hodge, superin- 

 tendent of the Plymouth, N. H., hatchery, eays some of 

 his trout spawned last year in July and August, but as 

 there were no ripe males the eggs were lost. He says 

 the first eggs were placed in the hatchery Sept. 3 and on 

 Dec. 1 there were over 1,000,000 eggs laid down, and as 

 that was about the extent of his taking we must con- 

 clude the spawning season was practicaDv over at that 

 time. On Nov. 34, 1874, I received 75,000 eyed brook 

 trout eggs from Moosehead Lake, Maine, and to be eyed 

 they must have been taken at least four weeks. The 

 trout in Mr. J. W. Hox ie's ponds, at Carolina, E. I,, are 

 all through spawning early in December, also Mr, Fur- 

 man's, at Maspeth, h. I, My trout begin to ppawn about 

 Oct. 30 and are all through before Dec. 15. I think with 

 all this testimony it must be accepted that the spawning 

 season is practically over by Dec. 15. Col, Theodore 

 Lyman is authority for the statement that trout are 

 done spawning in Marshpee River, Cape Cod, on Dec. 1. 



It is evidently the intention of some few sportsmen to 

 prejudice the public against the trout raisers as trying to 

 destroy trout, when they are actually doing more toward 

 stocking the streams than all the sportsmen in the 

 country (the Old Colony trout ponds alone having furn- 

 ished nearly 10,000,000 eggs and young fry for this pur- 

 pose since 1881) and are as much interested in the pass- 

 age and enforcement of laws for the protection of trout 

 during the spawning season and development of eggs. 

 The trout raiser could not be induced to sell his trout at 

 such times. It would be like killing the goose that lays 

 the golden egg. Ho does, however, want to sell bis 

 trout for food as soon as they can be brought into a good 

 condition after the spawning season has passed, and 

 no good reason has been advanced why it should not 

 be done. The ever increasing demand for fish, 

 consequent upon the increasing population and in- 

 creased facilities for transportation is such that the 

 time is not far distant when artificial culture must be 

 resorted to. Nature is doing her best, but she cannot 

 long stand the drnin which is upon her without assist- 

 ance, China has long since recognized this necessity, 

 and fishculture is there carried on so extensively that the 

 late Mr. Burlingame once stated that we had much to 

 learn of those so-called barbarians, and among oth^r 

 things the cultivation of fish; that in China an acre of 

 water is many times more productive than an acre of 

 land. 



Therefore, the best interests of the country demand 

 that trout culture should be encouraged, and all legisla- 

 tion should be to promote rather than to cripple the in- 

 dustry. It will come in its own good time. The people 

 only need to be educated on this subject and they will 

 demand it. Then will trout culture receive its rights, 

 the business be stimula,ted to a great extent, a food pro- 

 duct of the highest class furnished in large quantities 

 and at a season when most needed. W. L, Gilbert. 

 PLYMOtriH, July 33. 



Anglers' Association of the St. Lawrence. 



The ninth annual meeting of the Anglers' Association 

 of the St. Lawrence will be held at the Hubbard House, 

 Clayton,:N. Y., Aug. 3. 



POTOMAC NOTES, 



Wi SHINGTON CiTV anglers can now rejoice, and the 

 knowing ones are all smiles. Fishing is good in every 

 direction; fresh water, brackish wafer and salt water is 

 giving up its inhabitants in great shape, and from the 

 source of the Potomac to Norfolk, Va., and line fishing is 

 extra good. In the bay, trout (weakfish) weighing from 

 1 to Olbs. are caught in good numbere; about Fortress 

 Mouroe the fishing is exceptionally good. Bluefish, trout, 

 sheepshead and tautog or blackfishare taken in quantity. 

 H. C. Huggett, of Messick, York county, Va , has been 

 very successful taking sheepshead and "chub" (what do 

 you think of the name chub for blackfish or tautog), and 

 it just puts one on needles to be there fishing. This place 

 is about eight miles above the fort. Very few rods are to 

 be seen on Chesapeake Bay; hand- line fishing is the rule. 

 Mannanose clams are the principal bait, of course shedder 

 crabs are choice, but the fishermen say they are too easily 

 lost oft the hooks. 



One is never through learning; they call the blackfish 

 chub, the black or gray drumfish sage drum or pale 

 drum, the large-mouthed black bass in the fresh waters 

 chub or mill-pond chub, the menhaden ol'wiv, the weak- 

 fish plain trout, the bluefiBh taylor or snapping mackerel, 

 and what startled me most was to bear thst the old Vir- 

 ginia name for the pompano is "eunfish." Some very 

 fine pompano and lots of Spanish mackerel are taken in 

 the bay, but they are seldom hooked. A pretty large 

 fleet of fishing smacks are in the bay after bluefish for 

 the New York market. They are taking rather small- 

 sized fish, about 2+lb8. each, and during the middle of 

 the month fish were a little scarce. Five thousand fish 

 are considered a good fare, so the half dozen men to each 

 smack have plenty of fishing, as it is all done with hook 

 and line. The fish are kept in the well during the fish- 

 ing and then packed away in barrels of ice and so pre- 

 served fresh until the boat reaches New York, A trip is 

 made in from two to three weeks. 



The black bass fishing in the Potomac and its tributar- 

 ies is improving daily. Mr. Frank Libby has just re- 

 turned from the South Branch and he is all over enthusi- 

 asm about the fine fishing at Wappocomo, Hampshire 

 county. West Virginia, where Mrs. C, C. Parsons acted 

 as hostess in a most satisfactory manner. John Bush is 

 a guide at this point and a good one. The usual black 

 bass baits were used, but the very best bait is the grass- 

 hopper; more large fish are taken there with the grass- 

 hopper than with any other. Mr. Libby had sixteen days 

 of clear water and says that the fishing is the easiest he 

 has ever come across. All done from boats; exjienses of 

 living and fishing merely nominal. Quite a number of 

 clubs resort yearly to the South Branch. Mr. F. F, David- 

 son, Dr. McCann, Dr. King and Dr. Lang, all of Pitts- 

 burgh, Pa., were found there in July, 



The Mignon Club of Washington will have the follow- 

 ing members on the Potomac for two weeke: Tauber 

 Schmidt (the well known woman-hater), A. Stanlev, J. 

 Brcckingier, 0. Mills, F. Schafhirt and C. Zange. These 

 gentleman intend to camp out at different points along 

 the river from Point of Eocks to Seneca or the Great 

 Falls, leaving here Aug. 15. Myron A. is a very busy 

 man nowadays — he keeps a tackle store. BoN. 



WASHlNfiTON, J). C, .iDly 25. 



PLANTING SALMON AND TRAPPING 

 BEARS. 



Lowell, Me. — I have just finished transporting and 

 planting landlocked salmon at Nicatowas Lakes. Those 

 fish were hatched at Enfield, in charge of A. J. Darling, 

 and he estimated the amount that I had taken away from 

 the hatchery to be 100,000, I put some of them in the 

 stream at the foot of the falls. There were some good- 

 sized rocks where I put themin, and a slime had collected 

 on the rocks; and soon as the little fish were turned in 

 some of them commenced to feed on the slime that had 

 gathered on the rocks. I took one of them in my hand 

 that was feeding and put him in a foot from the rock, 

 and he darted for the rock again. I remember some few 

 years ago watching some pollywogs feeding on slime or 

 a substance that had collected on the sticks that were 

 under water, and those little salmon reminded me of the 

 young bullfrogs. Those small fish when being trans- 

 ported require a great deal of care. It does not do to let 

 them stop on the road without keeping the water in 

 motion to let in the fresh air, and the water must be kept 

 the right temperature. 



I had a yoimg lad to help me beside the teamster. We 

 had to make two trips from Eafield to the lake, and a 

 shift of horses so to keep them moving. The last load to 

 the lake I took six cans of them to the head of the lake, 

 some eight miles to the inlet from Gasabeas Lake. I had 

 a large canoe. The cans would weigh some 2001b8. each. 

 I put the teamster in the bow to help me paddle, and the 

 boy to keep taking out water from the cans and pouring 

 in fresh water. A head wind sprang up and there was 

 quite a heavy sea at times, but I worked along the shore 

 until near the head of the lake, then we had to cross in a 

 side wind, and occasionally a sea would break in. The 

 boy of 14 years would look up to me and say, "I can't 

 swim." I could tell about what the canoe could stand, 

 and I intended if it looked to me dangerous to pour the 

 water and fish into the lake; but we reached the inlet all 

 right and put our young fry overboard and returned to 

 the foot of the lake. 



There was a party of fishermen there who had caught 

 five nice ones, averaging Slbs. Another party camping 

 a short distance away that were said to be salting trout 

 and salmon, and they are professors of high standing, 

 too. 



It has been but six years since the first young salmon 

 were put into these waters and they have had good suc- 

 cess with their own spawn, as many young yearlings 

 have been seen to go through the dam to the lake this 

 season ; and it now looks as thouah this is going to be 

 one of the best fishing resorts in Maine. It always has 

 been good trout and white perch fishing. 



The next morning we loaded the cans on the team and 

 the boy and myself went down the stream, to the head 

 of the falls and then to join the team again. On our 

 way we saw a large doe feeding on the meadow. We 

 got quite near her before she saw us. Then she gave a 

 snort and bounded to the woods, and then halted and 

 kept up the blowing until we were out of hearing. She 

 had fawn without any doubt. When doe leaves its fawn 

 and goes to the water or meadows to feed it is more at- 



tentive to feeding than other deer that have no young, 

 and is not on the lookout half as sharp as are the bucks. 



I had a trap set for bears near the head of the falls and 

 we landed to look at it. The boy suddenly stopped and 

 said, '-Hark, I thought I heard a chain rattle." And sure 

 he did. Bruin was in the trap sure and fast, and had 

 been in but a short time. The log that the trap was 

 fastened to bad brought up on his first start; and he was 

 digging and biting fearfully. I had no gun and I looked 

 the business over and found that he could not get away 

 or reach me if I did not get too near. I got a club about 

 six feet long and two inches in diameter, and as I ad- 

 vanced on him he backed between two trees as far as the 

 trap would let iiim. When I struck at him he dodged hie 

 head to one side and back, and I missed him. The boy. 

 laughed and remembered that the bear understood box- 

 ing. I then made several false motions and gave him 

 one blow which felled him, I thought he might come to 

 again and I took my knife and bled him. 



We set the trap again and carried the bear to the road 

 to join the team. We put the bear by the side of the 

 road. The teamster had a very saucy dog with him and 

 he came in advance of the team. I told the boy to watch 

 the dog. When the dog got scent of the bear he wheeled 

 as quickly as his legs could turn him and dropped his 

 tail. Most dogs will give a bear a wide berth. 



I had the bad luck to lose a bear in another trap; he 

 had been in about a week and died and spoiled. 



J. Darling, 



ANGLING IN CANADA. 



SI^"CE the date of my last letter several other parties of 

 anglers have returned from the salmon streams. The 

 largest fish reported to have been taken this season was 

 a beauty of SSlbs. killed a week or two back on the Cas- 

 capedia by the Hon. Victor Stanley, a son of the Gov- 

 ernor-General of Canada. This magnificent trophy was 

 Rent by the fortunate angler to his messmates, of H. 

 M. S. Canada, upon which he is a lieutenant. With two 

 exceptions the north shore salmon streams have yielded 

 but little luck to anglers this season. Messrs. J. L, Pike, 

 of New York, and J. G. Creamer, and F. S. Hodees, of 

 Boston, however, enjoyed splendid sport on the Natash- 

 quan and left for home yesterday. The fishing on the 

 Moisie has, too, been an exception to the general rule. It 

 has been fished from the middle of June by Messrs, D. 

 G. Zates, B. P. Moulton, Dr. F. H. Getchell and E. P. 

 Borden, of Philadelphia, who arrived upon Sundav. The 

 fishing only commenced to be good about June 24, and 

 few fish were taken after July 9. Bpitween these dates 

 the above mentioned party killed 305 fish, averaging 

 23.711b8. Mr. Yates was the most successful of the 

 party, killing 94 salmon, which weighed 3,154-^lbs., the 

 largest turning the scales at 37lb3. Mr. Yates has come 

 to the conclusion that it is the 25lbs. salmon that makes 

 the gamest fight. 



On the Trinity, the Mingan and the Marguerite, the 

 fishing has so far been exceedingly indifferent. 



Far less uncertainty has so far attended the fishing of 

 our inland waters. Among ouananiche fishermen the 

 season of 1893 promises to be long remembered as the 

 most successful that has been experienced since the open- 

 ing of the Lake St. John region to civilization by the 

 construction of the Quebec and Lake St. John railway. 

 This is doubtless due m some measure to the precautions 

 taken during the last few years for the preservation of 

 the fish, and to the prohibition of netting. But there is 

 also a noted change in the manners and habitat of many 

 of the fish at the Grande Discharge this season. A fort- 

 night ago I mentioned the fact that the fish were exceed- 

 ingly plentiful in Mr, Griffith's waters, and that in order 

 to take them in the hotel preserves, it would probably be 

 necessary to descend below Scott's Camp. But whether 

 it be due to the higher water than usual or otherwise, 

 certain it is that in addition to their ordinary haunts at 

 this season of the year, the ouananiche are remaining in 

 large numbers in and about the immediate outlet of the 

 lake itself, above the first of the rapids of the Discharge 

 and between and among the first small ielands at the 

 narrowing of the lake. Some excellent fishing has been 

 done there by Captain and Lady Cecilia Eose of London, 

 who are indefinitely prolonging their stay at the lake, by 

 Dr. Lundy of Philadelphia and by Eugene McCarthy of 

 Syracuse. The two latter mentioned gentlemen have also 

 been working great havoc among the trout in the streams 

 flowing into Lake Sc. John. In both the headquarters of 

 the Ouiatchouaniche, which flows into the lake from the 

 west, and in the Ouiatchouan, between the falls and 

 Lake Bouchette, they managed to take nearly 200 fish in 

 a day, the average weight being from |lb. to l|lbg., though 

 several fish were taken between 3 and -Slbs, each. 



Some of the largest red trout, outside of a few from 

 Lake Edward, that have been brought to town this sea- 

 son, come from the preserves of the Montmorency Fish 

 and Game Club. Dr. Ivers brought to town yesterday, 

 as the result of two days' fishing, a trout weighing 4f lb?., 

 one of 3|lbs.,twoof 3ilbs., two of 31b3., one of Sflbs., 

 two of 2ilbs., two of 21b8., and two of Ulbs. Besides 

 these he claims to have returned to the water nearJy fifty 

 fish weighing lib. each and under. I hope soon to be in 

 a position to speak more fully of the fishing in the Mont- 

 morency B.iver. E. T. D. Chambebs. 

 Quebec City, Jaly 20. 



The Bluefish. 



New York, July 25. — Bluefishing seema to be the best 

 at the present time off' Sandy Hook. We followed them 

 last week from Perth Ambov, where we caught a large 

 number; and on Saturdav, July 33, Mr. Frank Dawson, 

 our boatman, engaged Capr, Walter's sloop Metgser, of 

 Perth Amboy. We started at 6 A. M. and anchored off 

 Sandy Hook about 12 o'clock, after a tedious drift more 

 than half way. We started fishing with shedder crabs 

 for bait, and soon discovered it was absolutely necessary 

 to have bunkers. We hailed a dory fisherman and pur- 

 chased for $3,50 all the bunkers he had, which gave to us 

 just three-quarters of a pail of chum. We used this in 

 one and one-half hours' time and catching twenty of the 

 largest and most gamy bluefish that ever we caught. We 

 were anchored part of the time about 400ft, east of the 

 Southwest Spit. 



Mr. Wm. Pitman, Mr. Wm. Barnett and myself never 

 fish for bluefish except with rod and reel, and from the 

 way we are questioned by fishermen we are led to believe 

 that it is considered a new departure. I should advise al 



